A Family's Morals
by CanadianFreakshow
Summary: When a 6 year old Dan shows up on Vlad's doorstep claiming to be his and Danny's son, they team up after years of being out of contact with each other and try to make sense of the situation.
1. Chapter 1

"Clockwork, no. We have told you more times than we can count and we will tell you again. No. You are, under no circumstances, in a million years and beyond, going on a vacation. So stop asking. It's starting to really get on our nerves."

"Don't make us punish you. You know that we will."

Clockwork glared at the faces before him. If he had more courage in him, he would probably punch them in the face. Well, technically their massive eyeballs but at this point in time technicality wasn't really the concern.

"But…," Clockwork's voice faltered, hitching slightly before he gained confidence and tried to speak again. "Why are you Observants always like this? I'm just a tool to you, and never once do I ever get to do anything for myself. Always working at your command and doing your dirty work and never with a break. Never a thank you in return. I never even get a present from you at the Christmas truce!"

The Observants rolled their eyes in unison and one scoffed like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. "Oh please. Clockwork you are way too high maintenance. You _know_ why you can't take a break so stop complaining. It's never going to happen. As for the other things, you simply don't deserve them. You might as well put those on the long list of things you need to let go and forget."

The Observants then turned around and began to leave the tower. Clockwork slumped in defeat, clenching his teeth together. He knew if he argued any more, he'd only make the Observants angry and angry Observants were never a good thing. "Oh and Clockwork."

At the sound of one of their voices echoing through the tower, Clockwork looked back up and found that they were at the door, already halfway through, about to leave. "Yes..." He answered, voice small and hesitant.

"Don't even think about disobeying us. You _will_ be very sorry if you do."

Clockwork flinched as the door to the tower slammed closed. Now what was he going to do? Be stuck in this tower forever? Do the Observants' dirty work for the rest of eternity? At this point it seemed likely.

His face fell into his hands and he groaned. "And of course. Now they'll be pissy for a while. I really need to learn to shut my mouth."

Out of nowhere, a bang came from one of the rooms in the tower. Already knowing what it was, Clockwork's eyes flashed in anger. When he arrived in the room he saw that the thermos that held the dangerous ghost known as "Dan" had fallen to the floor and it was rolling slightly. The sound of metal rubbed against the tiles echoing throughout the room. Seconds later, an annoying and very angry voice erupted from it, screeching incoherent words of distress.

"Nice job Dan. Real smooth. You definitely thought that plan of escape through really well." Clockwork drawled slowly clapping slowly just to piss the trapped ghost off.

"Shut your dumb trap Clocky and help me!" Dan's voice echoed angrily and the thermos rolled, slamming into a table leg. "Ow! Shit! Why?"

"And why, pray tell, would I? You're the reason you're down there, and you're the one who kept me from going on a vacation!" Clockwork's eyes flashed in anger before calming down, taking a deep breath. It wouldn't do him any good to completely lose his temper. "Besides, you're on the dirty floor, exactly where you belong. Maybe I should just leave you there. It suits you better anyways."

Dan let out an angry shriek. "Just watch! One day I'm going to get outta here and I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna destroy Danny and Vlad and make sure that I'm created in that time line! Nothing can save them! And while I'm at it, I'll destroy you too!"

Clockwork sighed and picked up a book that was laying open on the table and lazily dropped it on the thermos. As soon as it made contact, there was an angry shout from Dan. "Ow! Hey!"

"Shut up you whiny baby I have more important things to deal with than you and your daily rants. They're getting tiring and you really need to come up with some new material. If I'm going to be stuck with you for a long time, I would really appreciate you shutting up for, oh maybe eternity."

"Aww Clocky, you're really upset about not getting that vacation, aren't you? It's okay, I understand. I'm sure you could leave this place for a little bit. I mean what could happen? I get out?" Dan mock gasped. "Wouldn't that just be awful?"

"Oh my god Dan. You are such a child! Perhaps I should get you a soother and put you down for nap just like all the other kids at this hour! How would you like that, huh?"

"W-What?" Dan sputtered. "How dare you!"

"Well I'm not _wrong_! You're acting like it! So you must be a chi-" Clockwork suddenly stopped mid-word, an almost maniacal grin appearing on his face. "I have an idea."

"Oh no." Dan groaned.

"This is ridiculous!" Vlad Masters yelled, throwing the book that he had been holding. "It's been four years since I gave up that damn plan and I still have no idea where my life is heading at this point."

Vlad groaned and collapsed in a nearby chair, placing his head in his hands.

"I mean, I'm already richer than I need to be, Daniel is already grown up and on his own and Maddie, well after 23 years that just didn't work out. I'm just so lost. I mean after all this time and fame I have no idea where I'm going with my existence! I'm forty-eight and haven't even tried to build a meaningful relationship since the acci-"

The sudden sound the doorbell ringing interrupted Vlad from his monologue. He rolled his eyes and yelled.

"Marcia! Someone's at the door!"

Vlad waited silently for a few moments, waiting for any kind of response. When he didn't get any response, Vlad growled and stormed out of his room down to the foyer.

"Oh for the love of- Marcia? Marcia where are you? Answer me dammit!"

When none of his employees answered him and the doorbell rang once again, Vlad screamed.

"I swear if one of you don't answer this damn door I will fire you all- Oh. Shit." Vlad smacked a hand over his face and groaned. "God dammit. Why do I always fire all of my servants? Another awful habit I have yet to get rid of."

"No wonder I'm a lonely old man." Vlad grumbled as he walked towards his door. "Can't even keep a few servants."

When he got to the door, he quickly swung it open and sighed. "What do you want?"

On his doorstep waiting for him was a small child. He was blue-eyed and white-haired and stared up at Vlad with wide eyes. In the distance, Vlad heard the sound of screeching tires and looked up to see a vehicle speed quickly away.

"Papa!" the boy yelled in joy.

Vlad's eye twitched as he looked down at the boy.

"P-Pardon me? I am not your father you - you human child! You must have the wrong house!"

With that, Vlad slammed the door in the child's face and collapsed against the door.

As he stood there, arms crossed, Vlad heard a sound from behind him that sounded… almost like a ghost phasing through his door. Sure enough, when he looked down below him, he found it was the small child who was at the door. The difference though? He was he was ghostly pale with red glowing eyes. Combined with the angry expression, it was the vision of what nightmares are made of.

"Why did you slam the door papa?"

Suddenly, Vlad felt like he was in a horror movie and he shivered quickly backing up from the door. Little children shouldn't look so evil and inhumane. Even as a ghost, which Vlad had assumed the child was, no ghost should look this terrifying.

"So… _not_ a human child then."

Vlad wasn't sure whether he should run from the child or if he should slowly approach him. Either way, the boy was floating towards him and whether he liked it or not, Vlad was terrified.

"I'm sorry. I must have mistaken you for someone else! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings… son. What's your name?"

It was _strange_ calling someone 'son', for once. After all, he had been calling Daniel that for years. He had stopped considering Daniel as such as he was now a grown man at the age of twenty-two and Vlad wasn't interested in that fantasy anymore. Not to mention the fact that they hadn't spoken in a long time helped quite a bit.

Now though, after looking at this kid more closely, under all of his terrifying anger looked so lonely. Almost like he had been through too much and locked his emotions away. It reminded Vlad of himself. All the bitterness and loneliness of being left in the dust. Maybe this could be Vlad's one chance at a family.

The kid's eyes flashed an even darker red but he growled out his answer. "Dan."

Vlad's eyebrows shot up but he smiled. He needed to calm Dan down if he was going to have any hope in getting the kid to trust him. He finished walking over and patted the boy's head and spoke gently to him.

"Well Dan, would you perhaps like some ice cream? Or some other kind of snack?"

Dan pouted and shook his head, crossing his arms. Thankfully, he seemed to calm down a bit.

"No…" The child screeched in a whiny voice. After his display of anger, it was hard to remember that he was still a mere child, only seeming to be five or six. Ghost or not, he would still have that mindset.

"What would you like then? I have just about anything you could ever want. Perhaps going to the kitchen would be a good plan?"

The child nodded vigorously, smile lighting up his features. Vlad smiled and started to walk in the direction of the kitchen.

But of course, he should have known that there was nothing normal about this ghost child. He really shouldn't have been surprised, but when rings suddenly surrounded his body and turned the child back to the innocent looking boy he was before, that was exactly what Vlad was. His eyes widened and stopped abruptly as the now blue-eyed boy giggled and skipped forward.

"What's wrong papa? Aren't you coming?"

Vlad nodded, dumbfounded, and continued walking, shock running through his system. The boy was a halfa. Maybe Vlad could help him with it. Maybe make sure this boy didn't make the same mistakes as him. Make sure he never let that bitterness ruin his life and future happiness.

The walk to the kitchen was interesting as the child would giggle and point "wha's that?" at pretty much anything he saw. It was a bit annoying but Vlad just smiled and calmly sated the child's curiosity. Though, due to the castle's vast size it took a lot of patience for the journey.

Eventually when they arrived the kitchen, Vlad opened the fridge and let the child rummage through it. There was no point in pushing him away as he would most certainly get angry once more and that was far from what Vlad wanted. After some searching, Dan found a can of pop and pulled it out as he made an excited noise.

"I want some pop, papa!"

Vlad grimaced. He had no idea how the child would react to caffeine or sugar, and he wasn't quite sure that he exactly wanted to find out. It wouldn't be a good parental decision to make. In a sweet voice, he spoke as he gently pried the can from his hands.

"Uh, I don't know Dan. Sugar might not be the best idea. What about something else, like juice or something?"

Just like at the door, the child growled and his eyes flashed red. To Vlad's relief he didn't turn into his ghost form, but that demonic look the child gave him certainly wasn't pleasant.

"I want pop papa."

Vlad shuddered and swallowed. Vlad decided then that he needed to help this child control his temper. It reminded him of his own. Maybe they could work on it together.

"A-Alright Dan."

He stuttered, trying to hide his fear. Even though he knew it was a bad idea, it wouldn't help to make the child angry.

"You can have the pop."

Hands shaking, he opened the tab on the can, hearing the hiss of air and handed it to the child. As soon as he did, Dan turned back to his happy self and giggled as he started to guzzle the drink down.

Twenty minutes later, Vlad would berate himself about the fact that giving such a sugary drink to a six year old ghost child with unknown powers would be an incredibly stupid idea.

Vlad regretted not thinking this whole thing through. The child had trashed his entire kitchen and half of one of his hallways. He had the money to fix it of course, but that wasn't the point. The point was that somehow he had let a demonic half ghost child into his home, fed it way too much sugar, and now it was destroying his house. The worst part was that he was only one person who had never been near many children, and had no idea what he was doing.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.

"I'm too much of a virgin for this."

Twenty-two year old Daniel Fenton flew through the air clutching his thermos at his side. While ghost fights had become scarce over the years, they still managed to pop up randomly. Especially when he had other engagements to attend to. Not like that had changed very much since he was a teen. It was almost like ghosts had a second sense for throwing off his plans.

Though, it _had_ been a bit unnerving to have the news obviously documenting his fight. They were probably excited that he had returned to town once more. It definitely didn't help his late factor when he had reporters shouting things at him, trying to catch his attention.

Currently, he was supposed to be at home, visiting his parents for a while. It had been almost a month since he last seen them at his college graduation and he had already started to miss them. It really didn't take very long for that to happen though.

The warm summer breeze was nice as he glided across the sky back towards where he had haphazardly parked his car. He knew he probably should be a bit more careful, but it was hard when a ghost was taunting you, looking for a good fight.

When he returned, he switched back to his human form and entered his car, starting it. Luckily he wasn't that far from his house and when he got there he dragged out his bags and walked up the front door of his childhood home.

After knocking, he rocked on the balls of his feet as he waited feeling slightly nervous for some reason. He knew there was no reason for it but he felt kind of like an outsider here now. It didn't take long before the door clicked open and his mother appeared.

"Hell- Danny! You're here! Though, much later than you _said_ you would be."

She exclaimed, her voice had an edge of disapproval to it but it faded as she wasted no time in scooping him up into a hug. Danny laughed, dropped his bags on the steps, and hugged her back tightly.

"Hey mom. Yeah, sorry, got caught up in a ghost fight. You know how they are, they just love making me late for things. I missed you a lot though. How's it going?"

Danny said once he regained his breath, pulling back and giving his mom a warm happy smile.

"Better now that you're here! But I do hope you're being careful."

Maddie hid her concerned expression with a fond smile. She was about to say something more before there was a faint booming of quick heavy steps and his father appeared in the doorway behind her.

"Danny, my boy, you're finally here! It's great to see you son!" Jack said as he grabbed his son's bags off of the ground. "Come on in and we'll get you settled."

Once Danny stepped inside, his dad closed the door behind them all and reached for his bags. "Thanks dad. If you guys don't mind, I'll just bring my bags to my room and then I'll come back down to catch up."

His parents smiled and nodded and Danny started making his way up the stairs towards his room. It was nice to be back home where he could relax a bit and relieve some of the stress that he was under. He just hoped there weren't any more ghost attacks while he was here.

It had taken several hours, and quite a lot of bribing to get the child to calm down. When he had first saw him, Vlad had been sure that the child would have been difficult, but manageable. Now though, that he had seen just how destructive and both simultaneously emotional and emotionless, he knew that he was in way over his head. But he also knew that he needed help.

This child reminded him so much of himself it scared him. As much as he would love to throw this kid out onto the street, he couldn't help but think of himself and how badly he would have wanted someone to care for him when he went through his rough time.

So even though the kid hadn't been here for not even a day, Vlad knew he couldn't abandon him.

Once he managed to get the kid to calm down from his sugar high he distracted him with the television while he tried to make sense of the destruction that was his house. He had made sure to express his displeasure in what Dan had done, but the lecture seemed to almost go right over his little head. It was almost like talking to a brick wall.

After a while, Vlad decided that he needed to check up on him. The kid had been suspiciously quiet for quite a while and he didn't trust that the kid wasn't causing havoc in his living room as well. When he arrived at the room Dan was relaxing in, to his surprise he found the small child sitting on the couch completely enthralled in what was playing on the television.

With closer inspections, Vlad found that it was the news and on it a familiar form was being reported for fighting a ghost. Which, considering the person was Daniel Fenton, was completely normal.

Dan, however, obviously thought otherwise.

"What are you watching?"

Vlad said, carefully prompting the child, unsure of how he would react.

Dan sat quietly, almost as if he hadn't heard Vlad's question. After a while the child slowly pointed at the television and murmured. "Daddy."

For a moment Vlad could have sworn that his heart had stopped in his chest. He expected a weird answer, after all, Dan was a strange child. But for him to answer with _that,_ well, it was completely absurd.

"I'm sorry, pardon me for asking but, what are you talking about?"

Dan continued his pointing but this time, removed his gaze from the TV and instead looked at Vlad.

"That's daddy. Daddy is on the TV."

It took Vlad a moment to realize it but the child was completely serious. He wasn't a dumb kid. There were definitely some brains in that noggin of his and there was definitely a good reason as to why he would call someone that. After all, it had happened with him and 'papa' earlier. A feeling of cold dread washed over him all of a sudden. But deep inside, even though he wouldn't admit it, Vlad felt a warm feeling of something akin to _hope_.

Not knowing what to do, Vlad softly patted the child on the head and quietly slipped from the room. Perhaps this was the help that Vlad was looking for. After all if the kid felt kinship for his former enemy, it was likely that he would listen to Daniel.

Making a quick decision, Vlad walked towards a nearby phone and took a deep breath. If anyone knew what to do, it would be Daniel Fenton. And if he was in town there was a high chance that he would be staying over at his parents' house.

Quickly dialing the number, Vlad placed the phone to his ear and tried to calm his shaky breaths as he heard the soft rings of the dial tone in the background.

"Hello?" A young but confident voice answered finally, incredibly obvious that it belonged to Daniel.

Vlad cleared his throat and exhaled before answering.

"Err, Hello Daniel, this is Vla-" He began before there was a loud clunk and he was answered with the frustrating sound of the dial tone.

Taking a deep breath to calm his irritation, Vlad dialed the number again and impatiently tapped his fingers against his arm as he waited for an answer.

This time a different voice answered. One that was loud, excited and considerably older. But he couldn't help noticing the sputtering in the background. "Hello? Fenton residence!"

Vlad couldn't help but smile slightly. Throughout the past few years Vlad had finally rid himself of his bitterness and let himself forgive Jack and get to know him once more. And if that meant that Vlad had gained some affection for his old friend, Vlad really couldn't complain.

"Hello Jack, It's me, Vlad. Listen, I know this might sound strange but I was wondering if you could do me a large favour."

"V-Man! It's been awhile since I've heard from you...And that depends, what kind of favour are we talking about?"

Jack's voice sounded curious but slightly skeptical.

"Well, I was wondering if there was a possibility of you guys coming up here. Especially Daniel. I seemed to have found myself in a situation that calls for his help."

Jack made a quiet humming voice that he made when he was thinking before answering slowly.

"Does this involve ghosts?"

Vlad rolled his eyes at how typical of Jack it was to ask about ghosts. But Vlad shouldn't have expected anything different.

"Well, technically yes. Nothing to do with capturing or fighting, but yes there is a ghost involved."

"Well then count me in!" Jack answered immediately. "When would you like us to come?"

Vlad blinked at the quick answer. "Well, as soon as possible preferably."

"Great then we will see you as soon as we get there! Bye V-Man!"

With that, he hung up and Vlad was left once more with the sound of the dial tone.

"Well," Vlad said quietly to himself. "That was easier than I thought."


	2. Chapter 2

Danny pouted and crossed his arms, grumbling as he looked out the window of the Fenton RV. He was not impressed by this change of events and especially if it had to do with helping Vlad. Yeah sure they weren't enemies anymore but that didn't mean that he didn't still hate Vlad.

There had to be something that Vlad was planning if he called and continued to pursue. Especially if that meant that he needed Danny and his dad's help. Honestly any contact from Vlad after years of ignoring each other was suspicious.

"Danny, please stop pouting like a child. You're twenty-two for goodness sakes."

His mother said exasperatedly after a while, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I am not pouting mom, and even if I was I would have a good cause to."

Danny looked away from the window at his mother who was frowning at him.

"I can't believe you're actually believing that creep and going to his house. You know this can only lead to trouble."

"Now Danny," His mother began to scold. "It's been several years since he's even sent us a message or caused havoc. I'm sure he realizes that he's been childish and learned from his mistakes."

Danny scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking away once more. "Yeah sure mom. Vlad changing. Now that's a funny joke."

From up at the front of the RV his father heard the conversation and frowned himself, deciding to chime in himself. "Danny, stop being so negative! I know that you and Vlad have never been on the... best terms but I expect you to be polite when we get there. I know that you're all grown up, and a 'superhero' with enemies or not we're still your parents and we expect you to be courteous."

"Alright fine," Danny slunk farther down in his seat. "But I still don't get why he has to get in the way of my vacation. I was supposed to spend a bunch of time with you two."

"Well of course you will Danny!" His mother exclaimed. "That's why we're coming along! So we can spend time with you."

"I meant without the fruit loop. Just the three of us, and maybe Jazz if she gets away."

His parents both collectively sighed. "Danny I'm sorry," Maddie said after a while. "But he might really need us... we haven't been very good friends to him in the past and this is the least we can do."

Danny grunted and no one spoke again for the rest of the drive.

When they got there Danny took his sweet time getting out of the RV. Just because he was being dragged to this wretched place didn't mean that he had to be completely polite. No matter what his parents said.

Before they could get to the door though, Vlad exploded through the front door and slammed it behind him. "Jack! Maddie! Daniel! You've all arrived. You have no idea how glad I am that you're here."

Danny scowled and crossed his arms, replying before his parents could get the chance.

"Cut to the chase Plasmius. What are you planning? Because I'd _really_ like to stop you as quickly as possible. I don't want to have to be here longer than I have to. Especially when I'm on vacation."

"Danny!" His mother growled. "I'm sorry Vlad. What he _means_ is, what can we help you with?"

Vlad's relieved expression faltered slightly grimacing.

"No I'm sure he meant what he said. You see the thing is that I've accidentally found myself in a slight pickle…"

Danny narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What kind of a pickle?"

Vlad opened his mouth to sheepishly reply, but before he could, a small toddler came bolting out of the house. He had white hair and screamed, "Daddy!" and tightly hugged his legs.

Startled, by the hug, and by his ghost sense going off, Danny automatically whipped out his small spray bottle and squirted the child several times. In any other situation he would have switched to his ghost form, but that took too much effort and the kid didn't seem too dangerous.

As he did that Vlad yelled "Daniel no!" and sure enough a second later, rings passed over his body. The child's blue eyes turned and angry red and skin turned a ghostly pale. "Why did you spray me daddy?"

Danny's eyes widened his fear and he shuddered, stepping away from the child. "V-Vlad what did you do? Is this your plan? Another e-evil clone?"

Vlad ran forward and quickly scooped up the child. "N-No! That's not it at all!" He then turned to the child and pet his hair that was patchy from being wet. "N-Now Dan, Calm down. You just startled him, that's all. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you."

The child growled and squirmed in Vlad's arms. He pouted and crossed his arms looking at Danny. "Is that true?"

Vlad's eyes pleaded with Danny and he got the memo. "Y-yes! That's right I was just was startled. I'm sorry."

Immediately the child switched back to his regular form and no longer looked like a completely homicidal child. "So, Dan. Would you like to go back inside and play with your new toys?" The child's expression lit up in something akin to happiness and nodded. Vlad smiled and put him back inside. "Have fun!"

When Vlad turned around, a very unimpressed Danny, arms crossed and like he was ready to hit something. He walked towards Vlad and whispered to him. "So Vlad, are you ready to explain yourself?"

Vlad grimaced and shot a glance towards Danny's shocked and terrified parents. Jack was a little more excited than Maddie but still freaked.

"W-well, you see. The day I called you, someone who sped away in their car dropped him off, he immediately called me 'papa'. If I upset him, well, he'd act just like that. And when he saw you, he addressed you as 'daddy'. But he hasn't done this to anyone else so, I figured there had to be a reason."

Danny thought hard for a moment before his eyes widened in fear. "Wait, did you say that his name was Dan? Like, did he tell you that?"

Vlad nodded slowly in confusion and Danny choked in fear. "W-What's wrong? Daniel what do you know?" Vlad said worriedly.

Danny swallowed and glanced towards his parents then back at Vlad. "I can't tell you right now. Not with my parents around. For now we need to explain the situation to them, minus what I know."

Vlad nodded but before they walked over Danny's parents, Vlad asked. "By the way, why do you carry a spray bottle around with you?"

Danny shrugged slightly. "Oh that? It's for when people misgender me. Or just really piss me off." Danny continued on his way over to his parents leaving a confused Vlad behind who, after shaking it off, he continued over to the others.

As soon as they walked over, Danny's mother crossed her arms and gave her son an unimpressed look before grabbing her son and pulled him to the side. "Daniel Fenton. I want answers and I want them now. Why did that child just call you his father?"

Danny grimaced and rubbed the back of his head not answering right away. This worried his mother and she pressed on. "Danny? How did you hide this from us? Did you two do anything? Did this happen when you were _underage_?"

"He's not biological! God mom! You know how I feel about actually carrying kids, it doesn't sound very pleasant. At all. But most importantly, I hate Vlad. There's no way in hell I'd sleep with him. And especially not while I'm underage!"

"Oh, okay. It's just, Danny I have to check. You _know_ I do. I can't let this go without it. I mean, with all the dangers that you go through everyday just by walking out the door I want to make sure you're safe. I know we don't talk as much anymore since your accident and that you can protect yourself but that doesn't mean I'm not able to talk or worry about your welfare, you know? At the end of the day, I'm still your mother."

Danny smiled at his mom's support. It was times like these that he was truly reminded of just how much his mother loved him. It was easy to forget sometimes but over the years she had done so many things to show him she cares.

He didn't think he could have gotten through his transition without her support. He had his friends and all but... what his mom had given him made all the difference.

"Yeah I know mom. Thanks. But, you know, at least now I have a kid. And I didn't have to carry it! How great is that?"

She just rolled her eyes and walked back over to Vlad who was busy explaining to Jack the situation who was narrowing his eyes.

"Okay so, now that we're all pretty much caught up on the situation, what are we going to do about it?" Danny began when the other two finished talking and his mom was completely caught up on how it had happened.

"Well, I know you don't like me Daniel but, I'm not sure how this child will react to you not being here. Besides I know nothing about taking care of this child. He already destroyed my kitchen because he threatened me into giving him a pop."

Maddie looked like she was thinking, before she looked hard at her son. "Danny, I think you should stay here. Just for a while."

Danny blinked several times and gaped. "W-What? What about our vacation! And my plan to find a job! I didn't get that degree for nothing!"

Maddie sighed. "I know you were excited sweetie but, we can still visit. I just think that you need to focus on this situation right now. This kid obviously needs help and saving and I think you can provide that for him! I mean, that's what you do best! Saving people. And Vlad is sure not going to be able to do that-" She looked to Vlad. "-no offense."

Vlad shrugged and said. "Eh, it's true."

Danny gaped in disbelief at everyone. Had everyone here lost their minds? He turned his back on the group and clutched his hair, letting out a growl of frustration.

"Son," His father began once Danny had calmed down a bit. "It's not going to be forever. Just think of it as an extended vacation! Especially since living with Vlad means that you don't need to worry about money and this will be a good experience to get over your rivalry with Vlad."

Danny growled again before making his way towards the door to the castle. "Fine! But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it!" And with that, Danny opened, and slammed the door behind him.

As soon as Danny was gone, Jack turned to Vlad and narrowed his eyes with his arms crossed. "Now Vlad, don't you dare think that since my son is living in your house that it's okay to make a move on him. My wife was one thing. My son is another."

Jack began to follow his son but he walked backwards, doing the 'eyes on you' gesture. Though since he wasn't looking where he was going he tripped and fell backwards. Embarrassed, he stood up and rushed inside the castle.

Vlad stood there in amusement before he froze in shock. "Wait, Maddie. Does Jack hate me now? Is this situation now reversed? I mean I deserve it but, this is strange."

Maddie grimaced with him. "I'm not sure but, I don't think Jack would ever… hate you. He's just, protective."

They stood staring at the door for several minutes before Maddie patted him on the shoulder. "Come on Vlad, let's go join them inside."

When the two finally found the three, they were in the living room. Jack was currently completely in awe of Dan who was floating in his ghost form.

Danny however wasn't impressed at all. Despite seeming to be excitement about having a kid earlier, he was frowning and leaning against the wall in a corner. Vlad knew that he was hiding something from him and once his parents left, Vlad was determined to get it out of him.

"Maddie look! We have a grandson, isn't this great!" Jack exclaimed plucking a floating Dan from the air and giving the child a tight squeeze to his chest. Dan let out a small giggle that was... almost eerily evil. Nobody paid any mind to it except Danny who tensed up and shuddered.

"Yes, well he is very adorable, I do have to give him that." Maddie said as she shot her son a glance before walking over and patting the child on the head.

While the two were fawning over the child, Vlad made his way over to Danny and stopped in front of him. "Is there a specific reason why you're sulking here in the corner Daniel? Don't you want to learn more about the child?"

Danny shot Vlad a glare before looking away and spitting. "I don't need to learn more about him, I already know the devil spawn."

Vlad raised an eyebrow in shock.

"That's harsh words coming from you. I know you're unhappy about being here, but there's no reason taking it out on a child. Even if you do know him."

"Vlad you don't know anything yet. Trust me, what that kids put me through." He shuddered. "He deserves the nickname. Besides, how can you defend him so freely? Did you see the way he got angry today? That is not normal for a child."

Vlad glanced back at the seemingly happy kid before returning his gaze back to Danny. "I don't know, It reminded me of my anger issues in a way."

A strange look passed over Danny's face before he whispered. "That's not really surprising." Being done with their conversation for the moment, Danny pushed off of the wall and started to walk over to the kid before stopping in place.

Danny stared at the small child who was just placed on the ground. This was his enemy. The one who had tried to kill not only himself, but his entire family. The one who wanted to ruin his life and doom him to an evil and sad existence. And yet, instead of killing him while the child was young and defenseless, he was standing there doing nothing. It would be so easy to do, and then all of his nightmares were over. Danny stepped towards the child, ready to change into his ghost form but-

"Daddy!"

"Oh no." His heart melted, and Danny knew he was screwed.

"Wait what? What do you mean you're leaving already? We literally just got here!" Danny exclaimed and his parents got ready to leave.

"We're sorry sweetie but we have a project we have to do. We'll be back as soon as possible! Besides we should probably get the rest of your stuff since you're staying here for a while." His mother replied putting her shoes on.

"But, what about our vacation? I mean I know I'm staying but, I thought we'd at least get to hang out for a few days here." Danny looked at his feet sadly stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Jack sighed and ruffled his son's hair. "I'm sorry champ but we'll see you soon. We'll make it up to you, we promise!"

They didn't wait for him to respond before they walked out the door and Danny was left alone.

"That's what you always say." He sighed sadly, turning around and was startled by the sight of Vlad standing behind him. "Ah! Come on man! Not cool!"

Vlad grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Err, sorry." His face then grew serious and he crossed his arms. "Alright, now that your parents are gone, explain to me why you are so against having Dan."

Danny grimaced before he sighed in defeat. He had to tell Vlad eventually. "Okay well, to put it simply, he's like you and me, mashed together." Danny said with his hands interlocking, in a mashing gesture.

"Technically Daniel, that's what all children are." Vlad said, eyebrow raised, but smirking at the other man.

"Well okay true but it's not genetics. It's like, literally." Danny said pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Wait, hold on, what?" His smirk fading away and a confused look taking its place.

"Okay, it's all confusing timey wimey stuff but picture two ghost halves fusing together. That's Dan. He is _literally_ our ghost halves shoved together."

"That's it, I'm lost." Vlad sighed, placing his hand over his face and slowly dragging it down.

Danny made a more aggressive mashing gesture, shoving his hands in Vlad's face. "Like... mish-mashed together. And also apparently de-aged. Which is new."

Vlad stepped back from the hands and looked even more confused. "Mish-mashed? De-aged?"

"Yeah! Like potatoes!" Danny exclaimed throwing his hands in the air.

"Danny, no, please. I can handle your less than graceful way of explaining important things but – why? Why did you have to mention potatoes?"

Danny frowned and gave Vlad a skeptical look, crossing his arms. "What do you have against potatoes? What did they ever do to you? Did you get attacked by Mr. Potato Head in your sleep as a child? Did you choke on a potato as a child? What? What did potatoes ever do to you?"

"Wh- Daniel! I demand you be serious! I have nothing against potatoes, it's just a terrible analogy. If you can even call it that. We're supposed to be talking about Dan and what the hell he is!"

Danny rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. I really was serious about the whole mish-mashing thing, though. Dan is literally our ghost halves with no humanity, fused together. He's also younger than the last time I saw him by like eighteen years. The kid if basically evil us. I used to say 'future me' but, well, considering how tiny he is now, that's not really true anymore. Also the fact that it's impossible for that future to take place now."

"Okay, I'm still lost. You need to explain the whole thing to me." Vlad groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

Danny sighed before starting to walk away. "Okay fine but, it's a long story so you're going to want to sit down for this."

Three cups of coffee (Danny) and a cup of tea (Vlad) later, Danny had relayed the entirety of the events that had taken place eight years ago.

Vlad sat back and took a deep breath, taking in the whole story. "Alright, your reaction to Dan was not unwarranted it seems. But, you know this is good!"

Danny choked on his coffee mid-sip, somehow managing not to spit it out everywhere. "W-What!? How the hell is this a good thing?"

Vlad sighed in relief that he was not spat over. "Because Daniel, that means we can teach this child right from wrong! Then he won't do anything horrible."

Danny groaned and placed his head in his hands. "Oh my god. I can't believe I'm saying something like this to you of all people but you can't just fix Dan. He's not wired like that. He doesn't have any humanity Vlad. He doesn't give a shit about anything."

Vlad huffed a sound of disbelief. "That doesn't mean that he doesn't have feelings Daniel. He just needs to learn to know right from wrong!"

Danny shook his head and stood up. "Good luck with that. This will only lead to bad things, Vlad. I assure you." Danny then left without waiting for a response from Vlad, who sat back in his chair blinking. He had a lot to think about that night.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day Danny had a hell of a time trying to navigate his way around Vlad's castle. He was currently staying in one of the guest rooms that eerily reminded him of the one that he stayed in when he met Vlad the first time.

It took him at least twenty minutes to find himself in a part of the castle he recognized which was the kitchen. When he got there, he realized that he probably should have started to look for Vlad sooner. "Vlad! Vlad where are you! Your size compensating house it too damn big!"

When there was no answer, as to be expected, he groaned and switched to his ghost form. "Fine…" He muttered, annoyed "I'll just fly around until my ghost sense goes off then…"

It took another twenty minutes of flying around for Danny's breath to suddenly become chilly. The room that he found Vlad in was his theatre room. "Of course. Of course he's in here. There must be a game on."

When he walked into the room, he was assaulted by the sound of an angry cursing. Not the sugary curses Danny was used to, but actual swearing.

"Ah! You fucking pieces of shit!"

Danny ran in and saw a wide eyed Dan sitting on the couch. The child looked brightly at Danny when he walked in at exclaimed, pointing to Vlad. "Daddy! Papa said a bad word!"

Danny narrowed his eyes and growled. "Vlad. Can I talk to you? In the hallway?"

Vlad looked at Danny with a shocked and guilty expression, trying to hide it with a small smile. "D-Danny! You're awake!"

Danny narrowed his eyes and aggressively pointed to the door. "The hall Vlad! Now!"

Vlad grimaced and didn't argue and he practically ran towards the door. As soon as the Danny closed the door a little too angrily behind Vlad, he immediately started in on him.

"I can't believe you Vlad! Of all the irresponsible, idiotic, and just plain terrible things you've done, you go and do that! Especially after that dumb speech you were giving me last night! Dan needs a lot of things but he does not need you giving him any ideas! He's like six Vlad! Swearing at his age is bad enough with regular kids, but for Dan, it'll make things worse!"

Vlad knew he was in the wrong but he huffed out a snuff. "Yes I know. But I doubt your aggressiveness and yelling is any better Daniel!"

Danny rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Yes well try having to wander aimlessly around your dumb castle for an hour trying to find you and then, when I do you're spouting that garbage!"

"Well sorry that I'm rich and I worked hard for it. What have you done? Get a dumb tiny degree and find yourself in debt? Not my fault."

Danny gasped and clenched his teeth. "That's it. I'm going to take Dan and bring him somewhere where there isn't an angry, aggressive meanie influencing him poorly!"

Vlad rolled his eyes as Danny began to walk back inside. "Fine! Have your temper tantrum and say your kindergarten insults!"

Danny walked out with Dan in his arms, pushing aggressively by him. "Yeah. Says the guy who swore in pastries for the longest time."

Vlad growled and stomped away in the opposite direction. On his walk away he yelled. "There is a map at the top of the stairwell! Use it if you dislike this places size."

Danny huffed and made his way somewhere else.

Danny ended up just going back to the kitchen. It was a safer, more universal room of the castle and there Danny could watch over the kid easier. The map had been a life saver and because of it, he navigated the castle quickly.

Despite having walked in the opposite direction, it was obvious that Vlad had followed them and was milling around a nearby room. In a way, that made Danny feel better. If something happened he could easily leave if needed. Or fight the kid should he turn on Danny.

Dan had brought a colouring book with him and was quietly doing his thing. The kid was definitely good at hiding the fact that he had heard the whole exchange between Danny and Vlad. There was no way that he hadn't. He had to give the kid credit for that at least.

Surprisingly, he was pretty quiet, hunching over his piece of paper, quickly colouring the page. Danny smiled and sat down next to him, leaning in to try and see what Dan was working on. "Uh, what're you working' on kiddo?"

Dan's hand stilled and he quickly looked up at Danny. Seeing the gaze on him, Danny shivered and averted his gaze. It still freaked him out to see Dan look at him. Especially like he was innocent. Because if Danny looked deep enough, there was something menacing. "Colourin' somthin'..." The boy mumbled when he looked down again.

"Can I see? I bet it's great." Danny smiled encouragingly.

The boy shrugged and held the paper up. The whole page was completely black. Danny blinked and looked back at the boy, trying to avoid his eyes. "It's nice! But, why is it so black?"

Dan gave Danny a serious look and almost grumbled. "It's black. Like my soul."

Danny abruptly stood up, making the boy jump and flinch slightly. Danny couldn't handle this. He wasn't sure how he could deal with having this _thing_ as his chance to have a child. It was too much.

"Vlad! It's your turn to take care of Dan!" His voice shook as he yelled, and without another glance at the boy, he stalked out of the room.

As he walked out, Vlad came out from a nearby room with a questionable look. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Danny shuddered and sent a look back towards the kitchen before pointedly looking at Vlad. "I can't deal with this. At all. That kid is a _freak_. I can't handle any of it. You do it. Just don't swear anymore."

And without waiting for an answer, Danny practically ran away from them.

Vlad sighed as he watched Danny's form disappear from his view. It was obvious that the boy was having conflicted feelings about Dan. Not that Vlad really blamed him, if he was almost forced to watch everyone that he cared about almost be murdered and attacked by someone, he wouldn't want to be near that person either.

Vlad shook those thoughts from his mind for now and took a deep breath before entering the kitchen. At the table Dan was busy furiously scribbling. The look on the child's face was not one of contentment or enjoyment. It was one that a child would make if their favourite toy was taken away.

It broke Vlad's heart to see.

Being careful, Vlad sat down next to the child and smiled. "Hello Dan, I'm sorry about earlier this morning."

Dan didn't answer, only shrugging slightly and instead started colouring harder on the paper. It was no longer a pre drawn picture. It was a nearly black picture and it was obvious that Dan was very upset about what had happened earlier.

"Would you like some juice or something?" He was answered with a shake of the head. "Perhaps a cookie?"

This time, Dan's clutch on the crayon, caused it to snap in half and the child silently placed the crayon on the table and put his hands in his lap. "No." He said finally, staring at his hands.

"You know Dan, we usually say 'no thank you'. It's more polite okay?"

Dan said nothing in reply, only a quick, jerky nod showing that he acknowledged the information. Vlad didn't push, figuring that was as good as he was going to get a reaction from the child.

Vlad hummed softly as he picked up the broken remains of the crayon and went to the garbage to dispose of it.

When he returned he placed a hand on the boy's head and patted it. "I think that's enough of colouring today, don't you think? Perhaps you would like to watch a little TV?"

Dan looked up at Vlad and nodded slightly. Vlad immediately picked Dan up, who clutched tightly to him the entire way. Vlad couldn't help but understand this child deeply. It reminded him so much of himself, which wasn't far off.

When they arrived in the living room, Vlad placed Dan on the couch and sat with him, turning the TV on. A television show started playing where a husband and wife were being affectionate with one another while the children in the background made displeased noises at the sight.

If Vlad had been paying attention, he would have seen the sudden stars truck look on Dan's face. The child was completely enamoured by the sight of the two parents being so loving towards one another. In any other situation Dan would have been disgusted by it, but he looked at the situation with a childlike quality.

Dan decided then that he wanted a family like that. It wouldn't be hard. He had two parents and who says they couldn't learn to love each other? And if he did this, his daddy would be happy, and if he was happy well, then he might actually like him.

Dan and Vlad spent the rest of the day together playing and eating and having fun.

But they never saw Danny again till the next morning.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, to Vlad's dismay, the castle was awoke by the sound of persistent knocking on the door. "I swear to god." Vlad mumbled as he quickly made his way towards the door. "If this is another wayward lost child, I am going to scream, and then throw them out. I don't even care if they destroy my castle."

When he reached the door, he plastered on a fake smile and opened it, only leaving enough room for him to see who it was. "Hello?"

On the other side a tall, red haired woman stood smiling. "Hello Mr. Masters! How are you?"

Vlad blinked in shock but smiled a real smile back, opening the door all the way. Despite not talking to the other Fenton's in a long time, he had actually seen Jazz a few times. Since she was a professional psychiatrist she had decided to help Vlad and force him into therapy. Not only had she hooked him up with a therapist but she had also gotten him into anger management.

"Jazz! How are you? How is your job doing?" He said as he made room for her to enter into the castle.

"I'm well Mr. Masters. And my job is just as challenging but enjoyable as always. Always getting in new clients and saying goodbye to other ones. But as much as I'm always happy to speak with you, I'm actually looking for my little brother. I heard what happened and I figure he's probably looking for someone to talk to. Not that I don't think you'd be able to, but my brother can be very stubborn about these things. Especially if they involve you."

Vlad nodded and began walking through the hall, Jazz walking by his side. "Yes, that is very true. He is definitely like I remember him but, a bit older somehow. Still immature but it wouldn't be Danny if he became mature. And I believe that he's still asleep. That or he's hiding in his room. He had a bit of a…freak out at Dan yesterday."

Jazz looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "It's really not surprising. I'm assuming you know about the whole situation so I can tell you this." Vlad nodded. "Danny has had a deep fear of this future and that experience since he was just a kid. And now that he's an adult it still haunts him. After all it's not a good thing to happen to anyone, let alone a child."

A wave of new understanding hit Vlad at that moment. It didn't excuse Danny's actions, but it did make them more understandable and expected. "Yes, that does make sense. I definitely didn't think of it that way. It's a good thing that you showed up then. Danny needs a bit of help and you're probably the only one that can get him to listen to you about advice."

Jazz nodded and smiled. "Could you point me towards where Danny's room would be? I'll try for him there first. Knowing him he wouldn't risk running into one of you guys?"

Vlad quickly gave her directions and she was soon on her way to Danny's room. It took her quite a while but at least she didn't get lost. Why her brother decided to choose a room so far away, she didn't know. Probably because he didn't want to be near Dan or Vlad.

When she arrived at the door that she was told was Danny's room, she tentatively knocked on the door. "Danny? It's Jazz, I came to see you. Are you in there?"

There was a rustle of movement behind the door and it took a few moments for the door to click open. When Jazz saw Danny, it was obvious that her brother had barely gotten any sleep the previous night. "Hey Jazz, what are you doing here?"

Jazz wasted no time in pushing past Danny and walked into the room, despite his sounds of protest. "I heard about what had happened from mom and dad. They suggested that I should drop by and see how you're doing and to tell you that you're welcome to visit anytime. You have a portal here after all."

"Jazz no…" Danny sighed, placing his face in his hand. "You don't have to do this. I'm sure you have other clients to tend to. More important clients."

Jazz rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Who's more important than my little bro?" She received a glowering look from her brother. "Okay fine, I don't have any clients today and I figured since I don't live that far away from here, it might be worth a visit."

Danny sighed and slowly sat down on the bed next to his sister. There was no use arguing with her once she had her mind set on something. "Alright fine. Let's get this over with then."

In the kitchen, Dan was playing with a superhero figurine and quietly making small sound effects as he did so. Vlad looked up from his paperwork every once in a while to give the small child a smile. One such time, he smiled back and exclaimed, "Look papa, its daddy!" And proceeded to say in an imitation of Danny's voice, "I'monna catch all those ghosts!"

Vlad laughed softly before he noticed that Dan was wearing the same thing as yesterday.

"Dan, you don't have any other clothes to wear do you?"

The small child continued to play with his toy but shook his head. Vlad hummed in thought before getting up to look in the fridge. Inside there was his regular assortment of food, but upon further inspection Vlad realized that there was no proper, nutritious food for a child Dan's age.

Just as Vlad was closing the fridge door, Danny and Jazz walked in the room. Vlad wasted no time in telling Danny his concerns.

"Daniel, I just realized that we have no proper supplies for taking care of a child here. He needs clothes, proper food, and perhaps some more things for him to do."

Danny raised his eyebrows and made sure to shy away from Dan and the table.

"Well, that could be a problem. I guess we'll have to go out and get some stuff for him. We can't exactly keep things going as they are right now."

Vlad nodded and look to Jazz. "Do you have to leave right away or can you stay for a while?"

Jazz shook her head sadly before speaking. "I'm sorry, I would like to look after the kid, but I have to get back and do some paperwork unfortunately."

Vlad sighed but smiled at Jazz. "That's fine. It can't be helped. Danny and I will just have to take him along is all."

Danny looked away and grumbled, crossing his arms. He didn't say anything outright but it was obvious that he wasn't very impressed with the situation.

"Well I guess speaking of paperwork I better go." Jazz said as she started to leave but stopped and looked at Danny. "Oh and Danny, we're not done talking. I'm coming back tomorrow, so don't think I've let you off the hook. Besides, I still want to hang out with the new addition to the family!"

Once they all said their goodbyes, including Dan, Jazz left. As soon as he was sure she was out of hearing range, Vlad chuckled and gave Danny a small nudge. "Ah Jazz talks. I find myself missing those every once in a while. Haven't had a good one in a long time."

Danny blinked and looked at the other with shock. "Wait, you've had Jazz talks? When?"

Vlad shrugged, beginning to pack up his paperwork for a later time. "Ooh about a month after our last physical fight. She heard we stopped fighting and got worried, and then she helped me into therapy and anger management. I owe her more than you know, for what she's done. But really, why are you so surprised? Anyone who knows Jazz is aware that she loves helping people."

Danny sighed and leaned against the counter. "Yeah, that is true. Her hero complex is almost as bad as mine, only hers is psychological."

Vlad placed his papers in his suitcase and thought for a moment. "You know, I've never thought of it that way. I wonder which one of your parents you guys get that from."

Danny shrugged. "Not sure. Probably a bit of both."

Vlad nodded and then turned to Dan who had been silently picking up his things. "Well kiddo, you just about ready to go?"

Dan nodded silently before jumping off of the chair and walking towards Danny and tugging on his pant leg. Danny looked down and hummed in question. "Yes?"

Dan took a piece of paper and handed it to Danny. "I drew a picture for you, Daddy. I hope you like it. M'sorry for yesterday. I didn't mean to make you angry."

In Danny's hands was a small, childish drawing of three people, obviously supposed to be Dan, Danny and Vlad. They were all holding hands and there were hearts drawn everywhere. If you subtracted the flames and destruction everywhere, you could definitely say that it was adorable.

Danny was about to say something before he noticed a glare from Vlad and Danny decided not to mention the flames. "It's… wonderful, Dan. Thank you. I'm going to put this one the fridge." When Dan looked up at Danny with a happy, hopeful expression, Danny forced himself to smile happily back at the child before sticking it to the fridge with a magnet.

"Alright!" Said Vlad after a moment. "I think we're ready to go. Son, you can leave your crayons on the table if you like."

Dan nodded and tried to put them on the table but struggled with the height of the table. Vlad was about to walk over and help before the kid got the idea to switch to his ghost form but surprisingly Danny moved first. He knelt down and shakily picked up the kid.

Whatever Jazz had said earlier must have done wonders on Danny's attitude towards the situation, because instead of putting the kid down immediately, Danny placed the kid on his hip and began leaving the kitchen. "Okay Vlad we're both ready. This reminds me, add a car seat to the checklist. We have no choice right now but if he's going to go anywhere with us after today, he needs a proper seat."

Vlad nodded and pulled out his phone, starting to make a list of the things they would need, car seat right at the top.

They took one of Vlad's more practical vehicles, as opposed to one of the sports cars. Having no seat for Dan was one thing but having an unsafe vehicle for a child was an entirely different one.

When they arrived at the store, they got out of the car and Danny started to take Dan out.

While waiting, Vlad wrinkled his nose and stared at the place they had arrived at. Wal-Mart. Vlad was disgusted.

When Danny saw the others expression, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Jesus Vlad, you act like we've arrived a dump and we're picking out of the garbage."

Vlad crossed his arms and mumbled as they started walking towards the entrance. "That wouldn't be far from reality. I can't believe you won't let me take us to a _proper_ store."

Danny sighed and moved Dan up higher on his hip. "Vlad, your 'proper' stores are stuffy, stuck up, and cold. I want to get this done as quickly as possible. I don't want to be here all day, and knowing you, you would take forever in those stores and get stuff that's meant to be looked at, not touched. And if that means we go to a place for 'peasants', then so be it. Believe it or not, this is where regular people shop."

Vlad huffed and grumbled even more as they walked through the automatic doors. Immediately, Danny grabbed a cart and set Dan up inside of the built in seat.

"Ugh, you are putting our child in _that_ thing? How could you? It's disgusting and just plain weird."

Just about done with Vlad's whining, Danny turned to the other and gave him a sharp glare that made him back off. "Vlad, while we're in here, you are going to shut up alright? I've sucked at being a parent lately. I'm terrible at it to be honest. But I'm actually trying for once, so can you just let me try? Please?"

All around them, people stared at the exchange, and not wanting to make an even bigger scene than they'd already made, he sighed and nodded.

"Good." Danny huffed in response, and without waiting for a response, Danny swished through the other set of automatic doors. Vlad, having no other choice, sullenly followed him in.

They didn't talk much after that, the only time they did was to console with the other on what they would buy. They of course didn't need to worry about prices but since they were shopping for a hyper, dangerous kid, they needed to be careful about the food they bought.

They also struggled with clothes shopping. As it turns out, Dan really didn't like to do that. It reminded Danny of himself and probably was his trait showing through.

Once they picked out a proper car seat and any other things that Dan needed, including a couple of toys he wanted, they started to make their way to the till. Luckily before they got into line, by a fluke, Vlad decided to tickle Dan just for fun. When he went to do so, he felt a hard object hidden under his shirt.

The thing that Dan had tried to smuggle was a plastic toy that Danny and Vlad had earlier told Dan that he couldn't have and was supposed to put back on the shelf. "Thank god we caught him before we left. We could have gotten into a lot of trouble. Could you imagine?"

Once they returned the toy, they finally continued back to the till and started to check out their items. It didn't take long before Dan started whining about candy thought. "Daddy. Papa. Can I have some candy? Please?"

Danny gave a child a stern look and shook his head. "No Dan. Especially not after that stunt that you played earlier. I am still not happy about that, understand? Besides, candy is bad for you. I will give you too much energy."

Dan huffed in anger and his eyes flashed red. "Daddy. Please. Please?"

Danny swallowed in fear but he refused to give in. It was a relief that Vlad had taken over talking with the cashier. Danny felt sudden gratitude for the other man. "Dan, don't do this. I am not letting you have candy and that's final. Do you understand me?"

Dan got more frustrated and switched to his ghost form and growled. "Give me candy daddy."

Until that point, no one except Danny had noticed the child's anger but with his new form, it was impossible not to. Danny took a shaky breath and stepped back. Everyone witnessing the scene gasped in fear and shock. "Vlad, do something. Now." Danny shakily demanded.

Vlad immediately hopped into action and attempted to calm the child down. Danny clutched his head and tried to breathe. After all of the attempts he had made earlier and now he was terrified of the child again.

"Dan, please. Don't cause trouble. You'll lose your toys if you keep this up so just, please stop being so angry."

Unfortunately, the threat of losing his toys made the child even angrier. Vlad knew immediately that it wouldn't be wise to stay near Dan and backed away slowly. As he did so, he grabbed Danny and pulled him close. Danny blinked in shock but due to the circumstances, he didn't have time to think on what Vlad had just did.

"If I were you guys, I would duck for cover. He's not a happy, or safe camper."

People took Vlad's advice immediately. Just in time to because as soon as he said so, a loud, painful wailing noise shrieked and the sound of an explosion followed. There were screams of terror from fellow shoppers, but luckily none of them sounded in pain. Once he was sure it was over, Vlad stood up and surveyed the damage.

Danny stood up after him and he groaned, placing his face in his hands. Vlad nodded curtly and turned to Danny. "Well. Your power, your problem." When Danny gaped and growled, he shrugged and started walking away. "It's only fair."

Danny huffed and crossed his arms. "Vlad I'm broke."

Vlad immediately sighed and walked back over, handing over his credit card, irritated. "Well, at least it was only Wal-Mart." Danny remarked snottily.

Vlad rolled his eyes.

Settling the damage to the store, fellow shoppers and anything else that needed fixing was expensive, time consuming, and just plain terrible. While Vlad was taking care of the issues, Danny decided he would grab the small muzzle he decided to buy earlier and put it on Dan. The child was still angry and pouting in his form but completely oblivious to how much trouble he had caused.

When he placed the muzzle on his son and started picking up some debris an older woman walked over furiously and crossed her arms. "You should be ashamed of yourself young man! Muzzling your child like that, it's a disgrace! This is exactly the reason that teenagers shouldn't be parents! It causes nothing but trouble!"

Not in the mood to deal with this, Danny pinched the bridge of his nose and proceeded to glare at the woman. "Look lady! If you're so smart about parenting children with powers that, if they so wished, could murder you, then you can be his parent for a day. It would sure as hell make my life easier!"

The woman was about to make an affronted come back before one of her friends sighed and came over to grab her arm. "Come on Linda. It's not worth it. These kids will never learn."

Danny clenched his teeth, but let it go, continuing on cleaning up the mess that his son made.

When it was finally all over they grabbed their bags and items and left. Luckily no one pressed charges (with the influence of Vlad of course) and with the damages paid, things would be alright.

When they finally reached the car, silently put Dan in his new seat and sat down in the car, they were already exhausted. "Vlad," Danny began after a while of sitting there. "I think we both need a break."

Vlad nodded himself. "Yes. I completely agree. Do you think perhaps your parents would take care of him for a bit? So we can just take a breather?"

Danny thought for a moment before pulling out his cell phone from his pocket. "I have no idea but I can and will, ask. And if they say no, well. I'll find a way to persuade them."

Vlad raised his eyebrows in surprise at Danny's words. "That was quite maniacal, Daniel."

Danny smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

Clockwork had never been so relaxed in his life. He mentally kicked himself for not doing this sooner. Hawaii was absolutely heavenly and decidedly, worth the Obvservants' wrath when he returned.

He wondered occasionally, before immediately putting it out of his mind, whether he should feel guilty or worried at the fact he left Dan at Vlad's house. All he knew was that from what he saw, it all turned out alright, so why should he worry. For once in his existence he was finally doing something for himself and that's all that mattered.

"Another drink sir?" A waiter asked as they passed by.

"Don't mind if I do."

Getting Danny's parents to agree to taking care of Dan for a while was easier than they had thought. As soon as Danny had asked if it would be alright, Jack immediately agreed and told them to come by as soon as possible.

Deciding that any other kind of transportation would take too long, and the fact that Dan was a ghost (not that they could forget) that they would take the portal. When they arrived back at the castle they put away their groceries and proceeded to go down to Vlad's lab.

"Now Daniel just, before you transform I must ask something of you." When Danny gave him a questioning look, he continued. "Please. For the love of god, do not say that ridiculous saying of yours."

"What? But why not! I think it's catchy."

Vlad shook his head immediately. "It isn't. It really, _really_ isn't. Everyone hates it. I've asked your friends, they hate it. Every ghost in the ghost zone hates it. Please. I beg of you."

Looking almost heartbroken, Danny sighed and sadly said. "Fine."

"Don't worry Daniel. I'm sure you'll find another dumb saying to say that will get on everyone's nerves again soon enough." And with that they all transformed. Danny was glad Dan didn't put up any fight when they asked him to transform or when they told him that they would be taking him to his grandpa's house.

Vlad offered to carry him the way over there without prompt. He knew that with all that had happened, it would be pushing his luck to try and get Danny to go near the child for the rest of the day. Danny had been iffy about Dan before, but he had a feeling that with the horror of earlier, Danny would be too upset to be near Dan.

The entire trip, Vlad and Danny found safe topics that they could talk about together. The conversation was mostly about certain aspects of the ghost zone that Vlad and Danny had each discovered in the time that they hadn't been in contact with one another. Despite their previous animosity, they found that they could pretty easily slip into a conversation together. It helped that they were avoiding topics that would cause problems but that was beside the point.

Even though they were tense from earlier, just having each other's company calmed them down from the craziness that had so quickly become their life. In the end, Danny found that the trip to his parent's house seemed quicker than usual.

When they arrived at the Fenton portal, they found it open and waiting for them, Jack and Maddie waving as they walked through.

"Hey, Mom and Dad," Danny greeted when he came in. "Thank you guys so much for helping us. You have no idea the kind of day we've had and a break is exactly what we need."

"Of course sweetie!" Maddie smiled, reaching out to hold the pouting, but quiet child. "We're here to help you after all. You were just kind of, well, thrown into this situation and I can't really expect you to just adjust right away. So you two go out and relax or something and we'll take care of this situation alright."

A relieved sigh burst out of Danny's mouth and he smiled. "Thanks mom. We'll go then alright? We'll come back in a few hours and if something happens, then just call us okay? We'll handle it."

Maddie raised an eyebrow but just nodded, laughing softly when Danny grabbed Vlad's wrist and dragged him up the stairs and presumably out the door.

Jack had been the one to volunteer leaving the lab to take care of his grandson. Maddie didn't protest, seeing at how excited her husband was about getting to know the small child. That and she didn't exactly trust leaving all the equipment alone with him. She loved her husband with all of her heart but, there were some things that were better off left in her hands rather than his.

Jack had decided that he would, instead of keeping Dan cooped up in the safety of his home, take the child out into public. Jack had been extremely excited to talk to his grandson and play with him but, it seemed that today the little guy wasn't very talkative. He tried to engage the child in many different topics of conversation, but the poor boy was almost like he was in a completely different world.

Jack decided that the kid probably wasn't in the mood to do anything too fun or exciting so he opted to take the child to an easy place that wouldn't cause too many problems.

"So, are you hungry there kiddo? I know I am! I'm always hungry!" Jack asked when they pulled into the parking lot of the nasty burger and parked haphazardly. He parked the car but didn't make any move to begin to get out yet.

When there was no reply, Jack spared a look at Dan, taking a double take when he realized that the child wasn't giving him the excited look that others had while riding with him. His small shoulders were slumped and he stared at his hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. It broke Jack's heart to see that kind of pain on a small child's face. It was so completely _wrong_.

Jack unbuckled his seatbelt and leant over to Dan, placing a gentle hand on the child's shoulder. "Aww c'mon Dan, what's gotten you so sad? Aren't you happy that you're hanging around with your gramps?"

Dan let out a small, sad sigh and looked up at Jack with heartbroken eyes.

"I am but, Daddy's mad at me. I'm always messin' up or wrecking something. I can't do anything good. I always make him sad or angry. I just want him to l-love me like I'm his _real_ son."

Dan let out a small sniffle as if he was about to cry.

Jack frowned and furrowed his eyebrows at the child.

"Now Dan, I'm sure Danny loves you. He's just confused...it's a big responsibility that's been given to him but I'm sure that he loves you! I didn't raise him to not be a loving father after all."

Dan looked up at Jack with a hopeful smile, sniffling. "R-really? You think so?"

Jack smiled at the child and replied firmly. "I know so."

The bright, happy smile that lit of the child's face melted Jack's heart and he quickly got out of the car, walking over to help the child out. Jack decided that it would be easiest if he just carried the boy in instead of putting him back down on the ground. Besides, the kid needed some cuddles after the day he seemed to be having and Dan didn't protest to them.

When they entered the building, Dan let out a small excited gasp and clapped his hands. "Ooh! I know this place!" When Jack gave the child a questioning look, he innocently replied. "Did you know, that where I'm from, you died in a fiery explosion here?"

Jack's eyes widened and he almost tripped, taking a double take. "W-wait, what did you just say?"

The child blinked innocently and answered without a bat of the eyelashes. "Yeah you died. Because of me. Yay!"

Jack stood there in shock for a moment, unsure of how to handle the information that he had just been given. Every fibre of him told him that he should run and leave the child alone. But another, more paternal part of him told him not to. This child obviously had many problems but he couldn't abandon his grandson. After all, it could be his only opportunity to have one and if there was a way to help the child, he would.

Of course he'd leave that up to Danny to deal with all on his own. For now he would act like nothing was wrong. This child had had a bad enough day as it was. "Well, isn't that interesting." He finally replied and the child seemed relieved that he didn't get in trouble for saying something.

When Danny and Vlad left the Fenton house, they were both relieved but at the same time, they had absolutely no idea what to do. They both knew that they wanted a break but what they planned on actually doing, they had no idea.

So an hour later, not knowing what to do, they decided to sit on one of the benches littered around the local park, looking completely lost.

"So, basically, we finally have time away from him and not even a whole week into parenting, and we've already become boring parents. Wow well that was quick!" Danny complained, crossing his arms.

Vlad had an almost lost expression on his face as he stared at the park around him.

"The worst part Daniel is that we're not even sickeningly in love like most couples who have children are, so we can't even go out on some kind of date. In all honesty, we barely even know each other! Especially after not talking for a while. And on top of that, our relationship wasn't on the positive scale before that."

Danny didn't reply immediately, only sitting silently, letting Vlad's words soak in. "You know Vlad, maybe we should."

Vlad looked over at Danny, humming questionably. "Maybe we should what Daniel?"

"Get to know each other. I mean, if things continue on as they are, and knowing my luck, they will. We'll most likely be stuck with each other for quite a while. It wouldn't hurt to, you know. Catch up."

Vlad looked thoughtful for a moment, eyebrows scrunched up together in concentration.

"Well," Vlad began, dusting his jacket off, despite there not being anything really to dust off. "I suppose that, that might be a good idea. It isn't very fair to Dan for us to continue to do all of this fighting. Considering the things that you have told me about him, he really doesn't need extra aggression in his life."

Danny nodded and was about to reply when he was interrupted by the sound of his phone going off. He sighed and shot a slight apologetic look towards Vlad and took out his phone.

"Oh no." He groaned when he read the name of the caller that flashed on the screen.

Vlad shot him a worried and questionable glance. Danny didn't have time to explain himself before sliding the 'answer call' button. "Dad?"

Vlad stiffened beside him, eyes widening as the sound of Jack Fenton's loud booming voice exploded over the speaker of his companion's cell phone. "Danny! Listen, I know that you probably expected for us to look after your kiddo for a little while longer but, well son I'm not exactly sure I should be. I might be a ghost hunter and father expert, son, but those skills don't exactly mesh well together."

Danny sighed and leaned forward pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's fine dad. I understand. But, did something happen? I know you and you wouldn't give up without warrant."

Jack hesitated for a moment before answering slowly. "Well, it's not that big of a deal but your son said something quite worrying. I didn't want to upset him by freaking out but I think you should get Jazzy pants to talk to him."

Danny dragged his hand down his face in frustration. "Just, what'd he say dad. Don't sugar coat it, please?"

"Well," His father began, as if he was almost worried to say. "Don't get upset but, he might've said something about me dying at one time. Also that it might have been his fault. Please don't get angry at him Danny, I know there must be a logical explanation to this. After all you're always telling me to be more understanding of ghosts!"

Danny sighed, trying not to scream.

"Okay dad, we'll come pick him up right away." And without waiting for an answer, Danny hung up the phone. Immediately he stood up abruptly, body tense, startling Vlad.

"C'mon, let's go get our child who likes to mention murder like it's his favourite television show."

Danny didn't wait for Vlad to answer before switching to his ghost form, leaving a confused Vlad to quickly change and follow behind.

When they arrived back at the Fenton's, Danny said nothing but a mere 'thank you for watching over him' before grabbing Dan and leaving. Vlad grimaced and shot another, more sincere gratitude before rushing to follow the other. "Daniel, slow down!" He called after the other halfa, who of course, didn't do so.

When Vlad finally caught up and re-entered his lab, he found as bewildered and abandoned Dan standing lost. The small child's face showed relief when he saw his other father come through and Vlad immediately rushed over to pick the child up.

"Papa, is daddy mad again?" The small child whimpered looking at Vlad with wide eyes.

Vlad took a deep breath, smiling and shaking his head.

"No no, he's just very tired. It's been a long day. For all of us. Speaking of that, I think it's time for you to go to bed."

Dan's face lit up with relief but then dropped with disappointment, wrinkling his nose. "What if I don't wanna?"

Vlad raised his eyebrow towards the child and began making his way upstairs to Dan's bedroom. "Well son, you don't exactly get to have that choice. Don't you want to have some energy to play tomorrow?"

Dan thought for a moment before reluctantly nodding. Vlad smiled warmly and continued. "Well then I guess you're going to have to go to bed so you have the energy to do so hmm?"

The fight left the small child and he slumped against Vlad. "Yeah..." For the rest of the trip to his room, not a single complaint left the boy.

When they reached his room, Vlad got Dan dressed in his new pajamas, teeth brushed and finally settled his bed. Vlad smiled and pressed a kiss to the child's forehead and turned to leave. But before he could exit, a small feeble "I love you papa." called out.

Vlad froze in his tracks, hand laid on the door. "I love you too Dan." He answered eventually. "Pleasant dreams."

Before leaving, Vlad flicked the light off, leaving the amber glow of the night light that they and bought earlier that day, filling the room. Behind him, the door quietly clicked closed and a small smile graced Vlad's lips.

When Vlad finally found Danny, he was crouched over the kitchen table, shoulders hunched and shaking. Quiet muffled sobs filled the otherwise still, quiet room and it made Vlad's heart drop.

It was only then that he realized that he had never thought about how hard this whole situation was on the other man. But maybe he just hadn't wanted to think about it at all.

Taking a deep breath, Vlad took the plunge and hesitantly stepped into the room. Immediately Danny sat up, staring at him with wide, tear filled eyes. At the sight of Vlad, Danny tried to wipe his face failing to hide the evidence of his sorrow.

Vlad silently sat next to Danny and looked at him concerned. "Daniel, what's wrong."

Danny just shook his head, hugging himself. Vlad knew better than to expect Danny to completely open up to him, but he had to at least try. Despite their history together, it didn't sit well with him to just leave Danny to cry.

"Daniel, it's alright. I know that in the past I haven't exactly been understanding or kind towards your feelings but, I want to know. I'm in the same boat as you and if there's anyone in the world who understands _this_ , situation, it would be me. I know you don't trust me, but could you maybe _try_?"

Danny stared at him in shock, saying nothing in reply to the other man. It took him a moment before he looked away and answered.

"I can't handle this Vlad. Sudden fatherhood is _one_ thing, but, this is _Dan_. He's haunted me since I was teenager. He's always been there in the back of my mind, in my nightmares. He… he…"

Tears continued their slide down Danny's face, and his body started shaking violently. It became quickly apparent that he could no longer speak and small sobs escaped his mouth.

Vlad wasn't sure whether or not what he was about to do was going to make things worse, but he realized that he needed to at least try. He leant forward and swept the other man into his arms, holding him close.

Danny reacted immediately, tensing up for several moments before he gave up the fight and continued to sob.

Vlad let him cry for as long as he needed, not even complaining when his suit got covered in tears and snot, he just simply sat in silence.

When Danny finally pulled away, tears finally beginning to slow he whispered a small "Thanks." And began to wipe his face with his sleeve and slumped on the chair.

"I apologize for making this whole thing more difficult for you Daniel. I knew that this whole situation was hard for you, but I suppose I just ignored it. I'm sorry."

Danny looked up at Vlad and sighed, rubbing his arms and hugging himself. He bit his lip in thought over what he should say.

"It's okay Vlad, I didn't really expect you to care anyways. I mean, again, our past isn't the greatest. Besides we've never really been in a situation where we need to, I don't know, care about each other. I mean, I guess we don't need to care but, I feel like I should. Dan needs the most supportive environment that he can possibly get. Even though I've been _awful_ towards him."

Vlad looked away for a moment before returning his gaze to Danny.

"I can't really excuse you for hurting Dan. Yeah, I don't completely understand his situation and he really hurt you when he was in his older form. But attacking a child, even verbally is awful. But, I really shouldn't talk. Only a few years ago, I was doing the same. My have the times changed."

Danny thought for a moment before sighing, running a hand through his hair.

"No you're right, Vlad. I don't really need Jazz to tell me that you've changed. Though you're still as insufferable as always, you're not as mean or cruel as when I was younger. The fact that you're scolding me for doing something wrong proves that. It might be a little hypocritical, but you understand that you did some bad things. I can understand that."

Vlad nodded before smiling slightly. "So, how about that 'getting to know each other' thing? I think it sounds pretty good."

Vlad and Danny stayed up way too late that night catching up, making jokes and apologizing. Danny had never imagined that in a million years, he would stay up too late having a good conversation with Vlad Masters of all people. Especially not after all of these years.

And for the first time in a long time, they both felt a little hope.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Ah...yeah so I've also had this one ready forever but ya know... I haven't been writing lately because school has been kicking my butt so I've wanted to drag out my supply of chapters but unfortunately that's all I've got finished for complete chapters. The next chapter is about... 1/3 finished maybe? I can't promise new chapters will come out soon though.**

When Danny woke up the next morning and stumbled down the stairs and to the kitchen, he found himself regretting staying up so late the night before. Of course, he enjoyed the conversation the night before and he would have regretted it if it had never taken place. But things never went well for Danny when he was sleep deprived.

When he finally arrived in the kitchen, still in his pajamas and rubbing his eyes, he found Vlad already there, sipping a cup of tea and reading the paper. The second their eyes met, Danny already knew that it was going to be an interesting day.

"...Mornin'" He finally mumbled sleepily, dragging himself to where he knew he could locate the coffee. It didn't take him long to find where the supplies were, as he had already made himself familiar with Vlad's kitchen in the short period that he had spent there.

"Good Morning, Daniel. I see you slept well." Vlad replied, hiding his smirk behind his cup. He lowered the paper so he could place his attention on the other.

Danny rolled his eyes, already starting on making himself a cup. When it began to brew, he turned around and leant back on the kitchen counter and crossed his arms.

"Yeah laugh it up mister. You're the one who kept me up until the ungodly hours of the morning after all. So you're going to have to deal with me on low levels of sleep."

Vlad raised an eyebrow and laid the newspaper back on the table, closing it back up.

"Daniel, this would be assuming that you _actually_ get the proper amount of sleep that you need to function every night. Which I already know that you don't, so don't even try to argue. That is one battle I know you aren't going to win. Besides, don't act like you didn't enjoy our chat last night."

Danny began to stare down Vlad, offering him a challenge and to deny that he liked it, until the sudden beep of the coffee machine completely startled Danny and broke the moment. Danny clutched his chest in surprise, gasping and collapsing on the ground. Vlad couldn't help himself from bursting into laughter trying to cover his mouth to smother his giggles.

Danny immediately sent a half-hearted glare in Vlad's direction from where he sat on the floor, giving the other man a pout.

"Vlad!" Danny whined. "Stop laughing at my pain!"

Vlad struggled to speak through his laughter but managed to get a sentence out.

"You should have seen your face, it was priceless!"

Danny was about to reply before a sudden voice interrupted them.

"Wow, look at you two getting along! Never thought I'd see the day."

Their heads immediately snapped in the direction of the voice. The source of it, they found, had come from Jazz who looked like she had been standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame for quite some time now. She had a pleased smile stretched across her face, obviously amused by their shenanigans.

"J-Jazz!" Danny all but yelped, rushing to get back up off the floor, only making Vlad huff in more amusement.

"Hello you two goofs. Sorry for surprising you both, and I hope you don't mind that I let myself in, Vlad. I didn't want to wake Dan considering it's still fairly early in the morning."

Vlad smiled at Jazz, shaking his head. "I don't mind at all, Jasmine. In fact, I appreciate it more than you know. He had a late night last night with your parents and I think all of us can agree that a grumpy Dan is a very bad Dan. Not to mention, how with my doorbell, the boy would have woken for sure."

As Vlad and Jazz spoke, Danny grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured his coffee into it. He grabbed the cream and sugar from their respective places and poured the amount of each that he liked best. When he was done, he placed them back where they belonged, and turned back towards the other two, taking a long sip from his coffee.

Only then, did Danny notice the plastic bags that his sister was clutching, narrowing his eyes as a few pieces of blue fabric peeked through.

"What do you have there, Jazz?"

Jazz blinked in confusion for a moment before realizing what her brother was referring to. "Oh! Well it's just a little something I brought with me that I thought Dan might enjoy."

Vlad narrowed his eyes for a moment and gave her a skeptical look.

"It's nothing that will get him hyped up on sugar again is it? I honestly don't think I could handle that child hyper again. Hyper children are why I shouldn't have children."

"Too late." Danny said, calmly taking another sip.

Jazz couldn't help but giggle, but when Vlad gave them both half-hearted glares she sobered up slightly.

"No, don't worry, it's nothing sugary, I promise."

Vlad nodded slightly standing up from his place at the table. He walked over to the sink to deposit his now empty cup inside.

"So then what do you have Jazz?" Danny said curiously, leaning towards his sister in an attempt to eagerly peer into the bags.

Jazz rolled her eyes and jerked the bags away from Danny's gaze, giving him a stern look.

"Well little brother, if you would be _patient,_ I'll show you in a second."

She made her way to the table and placed the bags on it. Danny followed her excitedly, peering over her shoulder the whole time. She reached into the bag and begin pulling out the contents, revealing various kinds of paraphernalia from Frozen.

"Jazz c'mon! I thought everyone finally got over that dumb movie and now you want to introduce my kid to it? I'll be hearing the songs in my dreams for another three years at this point!"

Jazz sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Danny, I'm sorry. But I needed some movie to distract him that would guarantee him liking it! Besides finding the merchandise for this movie is so easy I can hardly stand it."

While they talked, Vlad leaned forward and peered into the bag, eyebrows furrowing.

"Hold on a second Jasmine, is that a dress? Why did you bring our son a dress?"

Jazz raised her eyebrows in surprise for a moment, before quickly glancing at her brother.

A wave of sudden anger shot through Danny, and he crossed his arms, clenching his fists, shooting Vlad a hard glare.

"Vlad I _swear_ , if you start enforcing gender roles on our son, I will drag him out of here, and you will never see him again. Ever. That's a promise."

Vlad furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, Danny's sudden animosity completely bewildering him.

"Wait, Daniel, what-"

"Fuck the gender binary, Vlad. In the ass."

Vlad raised his hands in defense and started to speak, but before he could, a small voice interrupted him.

"Daddy? Papa? Wha's going on?"

Danny's hard glare disappeared right away and he grimaced. He covered his mouth with his coffee cup, taking a large swig of it. Turning away from the door, he took a deep breath. It seemed getting through today would be harder than he originally thought.

Vlad shot him a worried glance, but decided he'd make sure Danny was okay later. Instead, he smiled at his son, moving his whole boy in front of Danny's to block him from Dan's view.

The two of them had agreed the night before that if there was any way to avoid upsetting the boy, they should do it. Especially after the events of the day before. Vlad was about to say something, but before he could, Jazz stepped right in.

"Good morning sleepy head! How was your sleep?"

Instantly, Dan looked like a deer in the headlights. He wrung his hands together nervously, eyes looking for something in the room.

"It was okay. 'M a little hungry though."

Vlad felt Danny shift behind him, and he instantly knew that Danny had moved. Dan's eyes searching for a few more seconds, before suddenly stopping as they fell on the space just behind Vlad's head. The innocent brightness that had been brimming in his eyes prior, dimmed as soon as they locked on to what they saw. After lingering only for a second, they moved back to Jazz's face in disappointment. Vlad couldn't help the rush of anger he felt, knowing what Danny had just done and clenched his fists to stop himself from making a scene.

Jazz's maternal instincts instantly took over, causing her to coo and usher Dan further into the kitchen and away from what would happen between the two men in few seconds. Seeing that the two of them were thoroughly occupied for the time being, Vlad quickly grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him into the hallway.

Danny made a small noise of complaint at the grip holding onto his arm, throwing Vlad a hard glare, but following him anyway. When they had moved an appropriate amount of distance away from the kitchen, Danny wasted no time in practically hissing at Vlad.

"What the hell was that for, Vlad?"

Vlad glared right back, crossing his arms impatiently. "What do you _think_ that was for Daniel? Did you not _see_ the look on that poor boy's face? He was heartbroken! We made plan, don't you remember? Why would you turn around after knowing what was at stake? Especially after our talk last night. It just, doesn't make sense."

Danny furrowed his brow in frustration, looking away from Vlad. "I don't know; I guess I just wasn't thinking. I hear his voice and I automatically react! It's like at reflex, I can't control it."

Vlad huffed impatiently. "Well you need to! We can't keep upsetting him. It's just going to get worse and then something bad is going to happen, and what will we do then, Daniel? He's obviously a very strong ghost, especially if he has the powers of both of us combined!"

"I _know_ we need to fix this! I _know_ what he's capable of!"

Vlad stepped forward angrily. "Then why aren't you doing anything? Why are you continuing to upset him because you can't accept that he's going to be a part of our life from now on?"

Danny stood his ground, eyes flashing green for a moment. "Well I wouldn't have to 'get used to it' if it wasn't for you! It's _your_ fault that he's like this! It was _your_ evil that overwhelmed him and it was _your_ idea to rip out my humanity in the first place! It's your fault!"

Vlad instantly froze, the expression on his face looked _shattered_. Almost like he had been made of glass. Danny immediately wanted to take back the harsh words, but before he could open his mouth, Vlad's eyes hardened and he stormed off.

"Vlad!" Danny called after him, "Vlad, I'm sorry!"

Vlad ignored Danny's cries, continuing to walk away, turning a corner and out of sight from him. Danny sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Further down the hall, the sound of excited, childish laughter was heard. He thought about following the sound, but decided against it. Instead, Danny skulked off in frustration.

The doors to the time tower slammed open as two Observants entered without knocking. They glanced around the room with disapproving looks, scanning for any sign of Clockwork. They had grown suspicious of his lack of activity and decided to investigate why exactly nothing that they had asked of him was getting done.

When they were disappointed by the foyer, they decided to enter further into the tower, growing more and more suspicious the more they walked.

It wasn't until they reached one of the rooms that their suspicions were confirmed. The empty thermos was still laying haphazardly on the ground along with a book and a few toppled over chairs.

The two of them stood there for a few moments before sharing an infuriated glance, wasting no time in storming out of the tower in a fit of rage.

Danny had eventually rejoined Jazz and Dan a few hours after the fight with Vlad, despite his discomfort. When he had done so, he had found the two of them sat in front of the television, both enamoured by the movie Jazz had brought over. Dan had been comfortably dressed in the blue sparkly dress and seeing that, well, Danny couldn't have helped but feel a rush of affection at the sight.

Danny had eventually given into his own stubbornness and joined the two on the couch to enjoy the movie, despite having seen it several times already.

Danny spent the whole day waiting for him to the see Vlad again, glancing up at the doorway every so often. Guilt sat in the pit of his stomach constantly, making him ache with the need to apologize to the other man. There had been no need to not only throw Vlad's mistakes back in his face, but blame him for the mistakes of a version of him in another timeline.

Danny waited the whole day, but Vlad never came back down.

It wasn't until he and Jazz had tucked Dan into bed and she had gone home, failing to hide just how tired she really was, that Danny finally went looking for the other halfa. He decided to look for Vlad in his bedroom first since that seemed like the best place to start. With the help of the map that Vlad gave him, it didn't take him long to find the room at all.

When he approached the door, it was obvious that Vlad was in there, the sound of silent sobbing giving it away immediately. Danny stood there stock still, scared to even attempt to knock on the door in fear that bothering Vlad would just end up making the other man more miserable than he already sounded.

After a few moments of silently fighting himself, he reached forward and knocked on the door lightly. The sound of clumsy stirring answered Danny and he took a deep breath before cautiously opening the door. "Vlad?"

Danny hesitantly called out as the scene before him was slowly revealed. What he found inside the room was Vlad surrounded by a few empty bottles as he sat on the floor next to his bed, staring at Danny with a look similar to that of a deer in the headlights.

Danny's eyebrows immediately furrowed in concern as he stepped further into the room. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he realized that this was his fault. Now his harsh words had not only hurt Dan, but now they had harmed Vlad. Danny swallowed and shakily sat down next to Vlad, doing his best to avoid eye contact with the other man.

Danny was about to open his mouth to apologize for how awful he was earlier but he never got the chance before Vlad began blubbering instead.

"Daniel, I'm so sorry, I'm such an awful human being. I was so terrible to you, and your parents, and your friends and I was just so full of hate that I didn't _care._ How do you not care about that stuff? How can you even _stand_ to be near me after all of that I've ever done? I just don't understand. I'm no different than I was eight years ago, and I don't know why I ever thought I could be. I'm just a waste of space, I don't _deserve_ to-"

Before Vlad could finish what he was about to say, Danny cut him off by hugging Vlad fiercely.

"Don't you even _dare_ think about finishing that sentence, Vlad Masters."

Danny kept hugging him tightly for a few more moments before pulling away and staring into his eyes fiercely.

"What I said to you earlier today was completely uncalled for. What I _blamed_ you for was completely unfair and _wrong_ of me to do. I was mad at myself, and I took it out on you because I'm scared. I shouldn't have done that though. Now, I can't say that it _wasn't_ terrible that you did that stuff to me and my family, but, that was years ago. I'm not saying that a simple apology will take all of that away, but what I _am_ saying, is that there are some things in life that you can't take back. It sucks, but what you do _after._ _That's_ what matters in the long run.

I know you've changed, Vlad. I can see that in the way that you've handled and treated this whole situation with Dan. You could have exploited his powers and used him as the evil son you never had, but you _didn't._ You knew you were over your head and asked for help. _My_ help. I can respect you for that."

Vlad stared at Danny dumbstruck, obviously unsure of what to say. Danny didn't wait for him to say anything, and instead, he reached over Vlad and gently pried the near empty bottle from Vlad's hands, carefully placing it onto the nightstand.

"C'mon Vlad, let's get you cleaned up and into bed. It won't do you any good to have you fall asleep on the floor."

Danny stood up as he said this, offering Vlad his hands to help him up off the floor. Vlad groaned in complaint but didn't make any otherwise signs of refusal to comply, grabbing Danny's hands and stumbling to stand up. Danny gently moved Vlad to sit on the bed, who collapsed onto it without a fight.

Once Vlad was securely in a comfortable place, Danny swooped down and collected all of the bottles that lay haphazardly on the floor, including the one the one that sat on the nightstand. Danny looked around the room for a trashcan that he could temporarily deposit the bottles in for the time being, and did so when he found one next to the bathroom. Danny wasn't sure just how much Vlad had actually drank, but he knew that it was enough that he would most likely need to be hydrated from. He entered the bathroom in search for a cup he could bring to Vlad to drink. Investigating the luxurious bathroom, he found a small plastic one wrapped in bag, obviously never having been used. It wasn't much, but it would have to do for now.

Once filling it as full as he could without it spilling over the edges, he carefully brought it back to the bedroom where he found a snoozing Vlad, collapsed on the bed. Danny placed the cup on the nightstand for a moment, proceeding to ease Vlad up gently. If he hadn't been fighting ghosts for a large chunk of his life, it would probably have been difficult to do so, but he was lucky. When Vlad was in a position to actually drink the water, Danny brought the cup to his lips and eventually coaxed him into drinking the whole thing.

Danny debated whether he should try to get Vlad out of some of his clothes, but immediately decided against it, deciding that that was a challenge that Danny _really_ didn't want to get into. Instead, Danny just helped Vlad get cuddled into his bed.

When Danny went to turn around and make his way towards the door, he felt a hand on his arm, causing Danny to turn back around.

"Daniel, would you stay with me? I don't want to be alone."

Danny was about to politely decline the offer, but when he saw the expression on Vlad's face, he found that he couldn't say disappoint the other man. Not again. It was his fault that Vlad was as miserable as he was at the moment, so the least he could do, would be to stay the night with him.

So without a word to Vlad, Danny crawled under the covers getting himself comfortable in the big, overly comfortable bed. After a murmur of 'thanks' and 'good night's Danny eventually starting drifting to sleep.

That didn't last, however, because it wasn't long before the door to the bedroom was creaking open and the soft sound of small feet made their way to the side of the bed.

"Daddy? Papa? Can I sleep with you? I had a nightmare."

Danny took a deep breath, counting to five before shifting in the bed and reaching over to pick the small child up and tuck him into the bed between him and Vlad. Normally, Danny would have said no and brought the child back to his bed, but Danny was too tired to argue, and really didn't want to wake Vlad up and have him see that he wasn't being completely kind to the child.

Dan settled in nicely and it took no time at all before Danny heard his breathing even out. Doing his best to let go of the fear clutching at his chest, Danny squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself to forget for just a moment about everything he was afraid of.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** **Hey there, long authors note coming up so beware. Okay so I know it's been almost exactly 7 months since my last update and I apologise deeply for that. When I said it'd take a while... I really meant it. I also know it's not as long as some of the other chapters. I promise I have reasons for why this chapter took so long and I'll explain.**

 **1: My life has been absolutely hectic since the last update! I've been through 2 bouts of final exams, unwavering amounts of schoolwork, shitty personal life stuff (nothing I'd like to state publicly), the impending moving out in September, and constant battles with my mental health and trying to, y'know, not die as well as get the inspiration to actually write.**

 **2: The second, last and most important, this chapter and getting the guts to finish it has been absolutely painstaking. As you'll understand soon enough while reading the chapter... it's not the easiest thing for me to release. There is a scene in this chapter that involves a trans coming out scene and one that was not planned and unexpected (no harm comes to Danny tho it's very supportive) to Vlad, his villain in the show. Seeing that I'm very very cis you can see how this may be problematic which is why all the anxiety. That being said if there is absolutely anything in the way that I handled the situation and it made someone who is trans uncomfortable, please please tell me. I didn't write this fic to set out making someone uncomfortable.**

 **Once again sorry for the wait and the long authors note and the length and also in advance for the wait you're gonna have to do for chapter 7. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

When Danny woke up the next morning, it took him a moment for all the events that happened the night before to come rushing back to him. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and counted to ten before opening them again, quickly glancing over to the two sleeping forms in the bed with him.

It became obvious to him right away that he could not stay lying in the bed and instead, carefully peeled himself out of it, making his way out of the room as quietly as he possibly could. What Danny needed as soon as possible, was time by himself, so he instantly decided against going towards the kitchen where it would be easy to find him, instead making his way to his bedroom.

Besides, he definitely needed to change his clothes and have a shower. It would be a very bad idea to wear the same clothes two days in a row. When he eventually reached his room, Danny closed the door behind him and leant against it, taking a deep breath.

He stood there for a long time, just staring at his feet, trying to make sense of the whole situation. Once he got his breathing back to normal. He stood up and walked toward his dresser, pulling out a set of clothes and deciding that he might as well get dressed as an excuse for his early getaway.

Unfortunately, just as Danny had taken his shirt off, the doorknob wiggled open and Vlad walked in. The second that he saw Danny shirtless, he froze in his tracks. He hadn't expected the surgical scars that marred the other man's chest and cursed himself for not knocking on the door before entering.

"Oh goodness, my apologies, Daniel. I-I'll just leave."

Instantly, Vlad looked away and began to practically book it out of the room but Danny stopped him, waving his hands vigorously before he could.

"Vlad wait! It's okay! I was planning on telling you eventually anyways so it's probably for the best that it happened now rather than later."

Vlad turned back around and awkwardly re-entered the bedroom, staring at Danny, unsure of what he should do. Eventually Danny, uncomfortable by the staring, grabbed the shirt he had already taken out and pulled it over his head quickly. After that, he moved to sit on his bed, patting a spot next to him as an invitation. Vlad took it and settled awkwardly next to him.

They sat in silence for a moment before Danny hesitantly dove straight into a conversation he just knew would be uncomfortable for both of them.

"So, um, I'm transgender. I've also had top surgery," He gestured towards his chest. "Obviously. I was luckily blessed with parents who have supported me from day one. I mean really, it took them longer to accept me being half ghost than it did about my gender."

Vlad nodded slowly, taking in the new information. This definitely brought to light why Maddie had been so upset about finding out about Dan and the comment about being misgendered. After taking in that part though, Vlad furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his eyebrows in confusion.

"Wait but, Daniel, how did your parents afford that surgery? I mean I know you guys aren't exactly poor, but your parents' incomes are all research grants and you can't exactly use that to pay for surgery so, how? Did they get a loan?"

Danny winced and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you see, it's actually a funny story. I mean, it may not seem like it now but one day we'll look back on it and laugh, you know?"

"Daniel, what happened?"

Danny sighed, staring at his fingers as he twisted them together anxiously. "Mom actually got the money for me. I guess in a way you could call it a loan but without the actual paying it back part. So uh, do you remember that one time she came over and started like, seducing you? Not the time you tricked us into coming to your house, but the other time? When she came over and asked for some money for something?"

"Oh. My. God."

"Yeah. That's a uh, thing."

"I'm actually not even surprised that it was fake. I should have known. It was so obvious. I'm not even mad. Wow."

Danny smiled. His mom had done a lot of nice things for him but, what she did to get him that surgery, even if it had made her uncomfortable, was one of the best things she had ever done for him. It was definitely the best birthday present he'd ever gotten.

"You want to know something though Vlad?" Vlad nodded. "It wasn't anything against you. It wasn't like she did it so she could come over and play a nasty trick on you. You see, at that time I was having a really hard time with my dysphoria. Seeing me like that made mom really upset. Not that I blame her. Everyone was upset. Sam had begged her parents for the money but they refused. They don't like me so they kept saying no. Everyone was trying to pitch in but at the end of the day it wasn't even close to the amount we needed. And at that point, everyone was desperate to help me."

Danny sighed and took a deep breath before continuing. "So, mom did the one thing she could do to help. Get you to give her the money. But she couldn't risk you to say no and because it's so dangerous to tell a lot of people, she thought seducing you to convince you to give her the money would be the best idea."

Vlad didn't say anything for a while. Danny quietly let him process the information that he had just crammed into his brain.

"I get it, Daniel. It's fine. I'm not mad because I know it was for something important, not just me being swindled and cheated for cash. Besides, that's the only time she's done it right?" Danny smiled slightly and nodded.

"Though, Vlad can I ask you a question?" When Vlad nodded, Danny continued. "Well, it's just, I asked my mom about what happened because you know, I was concerned for her safety. You and I weren't exactly on talking terms then and I had no idea what your motives were other than you stopped trying to you know. Take over the world. Anyways, I was just wondering, why didn't you like, do anything? I mean she's a good actress so she obviously looked consenting so, why? I'm not complaining but, why?"

Vlad stared at Danny for a moment before putting his face in his hands and groaning. After doing that for several moments he lifted his head and muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Danny to hear.

"Okay fine, fair enough. A coming out for a coming out I suppose." He raised his voice back up to a normal volume. "Daniel, I didn't take it any further because I am asexual. Not only that, but I am sex repulsed and incredibly not interested in that kind of relationship."

Danny blinked in confusion staring at Vlad in surprise. "But, I thought you wanted to like, be with my mom?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, giving Danny an annoyed look. "First of all, did, and second of all, I wanted a romantic relationship with her. I never said anything about it being more than that."

Danny raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Huh. Well, okay, definitely didn't expect that but, you know. Fair enough."

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Danny turned to Vlad and smiled hesitantly. He opened his arms wide towards him. "Awkward hug?"

Vlad shrugged. "Sure why not." They embraced for a while until they heard a small giggle and pulled apart to see their son standing in the doorway, watching them.

"Ooh, Daddy and Papa huggin'."

Vlad stood up and walked over to the child and swooped down to pick him up. "Come on troublemaker. It's way too early for you to be up. Why are you awake?

"M' hungry papa."

Vlad looked over at Danny. "I'll go take care of him. I'll be back in a bit." Danny nodded and Vlad left, leaving him to his thoughts.

Danny didn't follow Vlad back down the stairs until an hour later, fully dressed and pulling on his coat. When he entered the kitchen, he found Vlad sitting at the table like usual, doing work. Danny cleared his throat a little to get the other man's attention without startling him.

At the sound, Vlad turned around from where he was sitting. At the sight of Danny in his coat, Vlad's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"You heading somewhere?"

Danny shrugged nonchalantly, zipping the coat closed.

"Yeah, I just realised that I should really go to visit Sam and Tucker and tell them what's going on. They're my friends, I probably shouldn't keep them in the dark about this stuff. Especially since they think I'm at my parents' house right now and my father is the biggest blab in the world."

Vlad nodded in agreement. "I don't like to speak ill of your father, but I'm definitely inclined to agree. He means well at least."

Danny blinked several times before shaking his head. "I don't think I'll ever get used to the whole 'you not insulting my father' thing. But yeah, anyways I'm gonna head out. I'll call you later to let you know what's going on."

Vlad murmured a goodbye as Danny slipped out the door to make the journey to Sam's place. He had sent them a text an hour prior to letting them know he was coming and to make sure that Tucker was coming.

When he arrived, he knocked on the door and waited a moment before hearing footsteps make their way towards him. A moment later it opened to Sam's smiling face in the doorway.

"Danny! It's so good to see you, it's been a while."

Danny stepped inside the apartment moving to take his jacket off while Sam closed the door behind him.

"It's only been a couple weeks, Sam."

Sam rolled her eyes, pointedly ignoring his protest as she headed into her kitchen, Danny following closely behind.

"Yeah, but that was at graduation where we barely saw each other because of the ceremonies, and before that there were exams and we were too stressed and busy to hang out."

In the kitchen, Tucker was sitting at the table, sprawled out, clearly having made himself at home. Danny simply rolled his eyes in amusement. He knew better than to argue with Sam. She was definitely one of the most stubborn people he knew.

"Hey Danny, how's it hanging?"

Tucker jumped into the conversation, taking a moment to look up from his phone to greet his friend. Shrugging nonchalantly, Danny collapsed in one of the chairs across the table from Tucker. Sam, without asking, took the initiative to pour Danny a glass of water before joining them.

"Oh you know," Danny responded, "It's never a dull moment around me."

Sam and Tucker quickly shared a look with one another that Danny could only identify as a shared decision. Danny didn't get a lot of time to figure out what that look could exactly mean before Tucker opened up the very line of conversation Danny had come there for but greatly agonised over.

"You know, as much as Sam and I would like to chat about random stuff… we could kinda tell that a regular hangout wasn't really why you called us both up."

Danny blushed a little in embarrassment before reaching back to rub the back of his neck nervously. "Was I that obvious?"

The two of them shared a slightly pained glance before nodding.

"Yeeeeah, just a little bit, man."

Danny sighed deeply before laying his head in his hands in resignation. "My life has gotten so fucked up since we last saw each other, you have no idea."

The other two said nothing, just waiting patiently for Danny to elaborate on the statement. After waiting a few moments and taking several deep breaths, Danny suddenly dove into the entire explanation of his life the past few days. He tried hard not to look at his friend's facial expressions as he did so, fearing it would make him back out of confiding in the two of them. Instead, he opted to either stare at his hands or to look at the wall behind their heads. When he finished, starting from the phone call to the coming out fiasco, he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and finally met his companions' eyes.

What he saw on their faces were twin expressions of a mixture of horror and confusion. They seemed both equally speechless and frozen in their spots at the table. Danny gave them time to try and digest the vast amount of information that he had shoved down their throats suddenly and said nothing, sipping his water silently.

When they finally woke up from their trance, Sam was the one to break the silence.

"Jesus Danny."

"Yeah man, you weren't kidding about your life being fucked up!"

Tucker chimed in after her. Sam quickly shot him a death glare proceeded by a sharp jab at his side with her elbow. The hit was answered with a loud yelp and an apology.

"What Tucker means Danny, is that it really sounds like you really need a friend right now and that we're glad you came to us."

Danny shot a grateful smile at them both. "Thanks, guys, I don't know what I'd do without you guys."

Sam shrugged, smirking playfully. "Probably fall apart, honestly.'

Danny protested out loud, but they all knew that that was most certainly true.

Danny stayed at Sam's place for a few hours before he realised the time and figured that if he didn't make it home soon, Vlad would most likely start to worry. Looking back now, the idea that he would ever worry about Vlad worrying about him was a laughable idea and yet, here he was.

When Danny arrived back at Vlad's gigantic home, taking off his jacket and shoes, he abruptly stopped due to the distant sound of familiar voices. Danny didn't need to investigate to discover the identity of who was talking to one another. Swallowing his pride, Danny hesitantly made his way to the kitchen which held the source of the conversation and as casually as possible made his presence known.

"Uh, hey guys, what're you two up to?"

The comfortable chatter abruptly ended and the open environment stifled a tad. Inside the kitchen was Vlad and Dan next to one another at the counter, looking busy over what appeared to be a pot of cooked potatoes. At the sound of Danny's voice, the other two looked up from their concentration and moved their attention to Danny.

"Oh good, you're home. I was starting to get a tad worried. No matter though, you're just in time to help us finish cooking dinner, we're having steak and mashed potatoes. We were just about to do the mashing part."

Danny moved into the room and joined them on the other side of Vlad.

"Well, what are we waiting for then! Come on Vlad, lets mish mash these potatoes!"

Without missing a beat, Vlad smirked and pointedly glanced at Dan without the kid understanding what was going on. "I thought we already did?"

It took Danny a second to comprehend that he was being jested but as soon as he did, he made sure to playfully jab Vlad's side with his elbow.

"Oh my god, you're really not gonna let that go, are you?"

"Not a chance, Daniel."

Before the two adults could continue their friendly banter, Dan innocently chimed in beside them.

"I watched a show with potatoes once!" When the adults only gave him grunts of acknowledgement, the child continued. "The girl got yelled at for eating one. And then everyone got eaten by giants. It was bloody."

Danny immediately froze, but instead of freaking out like he had other times, he simply gave Vlad a pointed look and whispered to Vlad, a tone of humour in his voice.

"You know this is your fault right?"

Vlad only huffed in amusement and shrugged. "Yes, but it'll be alright. It's not as if the kid will murder someone."

After that, the three of them contently made their dinner as a family, completely unaware of the horrors that they would deal with the following day.


End file.
